"My neighbor has a steeper metal roof than mine, and he swears it stays cleaner, but honestly, I still see pollen streaks on his gutters every spring."
Roof pitch does help with debris runoff, but pollen's tricky—it sticks regardless of slope. Metal roofs might look cleaner because rain washes off larger debris more easily, but pollen residue is stubborn stuff. Pines are notorious for sticky sap and pollen; maples and oaks can be just as messy though, dropping fine particles that cling to surfaces. Honestly, regular gutter guards or filters might make more difference than roof angle alone...
I've had metal roofs on a few properties and honestly, pollen's gonna stick no matter what. I used to think steeper roofs were cleaner too, but then one spring I climbed up to check—and nope, still a yellow mess. Gutter guards help a bit, but for rain collection, I'd focus more on a good pre-filter setup. Roof angle won't save you from pollen season, trust me...I've tried!
Have you tried different types of pre-filters yet? I've experimented with a few setups myself, and some mesh filters seem to clog up way faster than others during pollen season. Curious if anyone's found a sweet spot between filter fineness and maintenance hassle...because climbing up there every weekend to clean it out gets old pretty quick.
"some mesh filters seem to clog up way faster than others during pollen season."
Yeah, mesh filters can be tricky—too fine and you're stuck cleaning constantly; too coarse and you risk debris in your system. Personally, I've found that a slightly coarser mesh paired with a simple sediment trap downstream works pretty well. Still, pollen season is no joke... Have you considered adding a first-flush diverter to take some pressure off the filter? Might save you a few trips up the ladder.
I've tried one of those first-flush diverters myself, and honestly, it wasn't a miracle solution. It did help reduce some of the initial pollen load, but I still had to clean my mesh filter more often than I'd hoped. Eventually, I ended up switching to a slightly coarser mesh and installed a basic settling tank downstream—made life easier overall. Pollen season is just one of those things you have to manage rather than completely solve, unfortunately...
